Of Time, Space, Dimensions and Creations
by ThePaintedSkies
Summary: All Sam Walker wanted was to become a Pokemon Trainer- She never knew saving that a Totodile would get her a new Pokemon, new traveling companion and a bigger journey than what she bargained for. OC with copious amounts of Steven Stone. May be OC/Steven
1. Rescue

Hey there readers! This is my first Poke-fic, based on the Sinnoh verse, with the inclusion of an OC and Steven. This is a story of their adventures through Sinnoh, with a deeper look at Team Galactic and their attempts at catching Dialga, Palkia and Giratina- with a twist, as well as the Pokemon League Championships when it reaches there. Of course, there will sometimes be cuts and fast forwards through the travels, since it'll be realistically done, and will not take a hop-and-skip to get through routes. Hope you enjoy! Do drop off messages to let me know how I'm doing if you can! :)

_DISCLAIMER: _I don't own Steven Stone, Totodile, Rowan, Barry or anything Pokemon related, only Samantha Walker. This is written for entertainment purposes.

_Chapter One_: **Rescue**

_Samantha Walker. _

_Hometown, Twin Leaf Town._

_Age... 17._

_Hair color... Sable. Style... short around with a long pony tail underneath, tied with a circular ornament._

_Eyes... ice blue_

_Biggest peeve..._

"Samantha! Samanthaaaaa!"

**STOMP STOMP**!

"Jeeze, will you stop running Amanda? And stop calling me by my whole name, I'm too used to it being used when I'm trouble!"

"But look, Sam! I have a Pokemon! It's a Starly!"

"..."

_Biggest peeve... I'm now the only person without a damn Pokemon in this town! Everyone is equipped with at least -one- pokeball!_

I stared at Amanda's pokeball, a mixture of happiness for her for obtaining her first Pokemon and contempt filled me. It left a bad taste. "That's...nice. The hell you get a Starly from anyway?" I thought for a quick moment, then retracted the question. I placed my hands on my temples and shut my eyes tight, seeming as if I were getting a premonition. "Wait! Don't tell me... It's coming to me..." I placed a hand on my hip and extended the other hand out, pointing a finger. "That big head Barry gave it to you, eh?"

Amanda gaped in surprise. "Wow! How'd you know?" Her big brown curly pig tails bounced and her pink dress swayed up as she hopped.

I shrugged. "Like I said, it came to me. It's because I'm skilled like that." Obvious lie. Barry had been gloating ever since he and our friend Lucas had this incident where the morons were attacked by Starlys and ever so luckily got their first starting Pokemon, his being Turtwig. He went off and started accomplishing stuff with it. Catching Pokemon to make a small party for him self. Getting ready to travel. Catching a few Pokemon for the local kids.

The show-off.

"Ah, by the way!" Amanda caught my slipping attention and I turned to face her, her blue eyes shinning brightly. "Barry said to meet him by his place and fast, or else you'll owe him a million yen!"

I grinned then scoffed. "Pfft, he can try to make me pay if he wants, but I'm in no rush." I sauntered over to the door and kneeled down to put on some sneakers. "I'll see what he wants. Let mom know I'll be back late."

"Okay!" Amanda waved frantically as I causally lifted a hand to acknowledge her- my way of saying bye.

I closed the door and slowly walked onto the cobblestone, following it for a few minutes before I reached the next house. Just as I figured, right on the front lawn stood a teen around my age with a full head of blond hair equipped with a green scarf, white and orange striped zip up sweater and jeans, arms crossed. "Yo." I called out to him.

The blond turned around, brown orbs meeting my own blue ones. "Ah, Sam! You got here at a decent time!"

"What's up, Barry?" I questioned dully.

"This." Barry lifted an orange backpack off the ground and handed it to me carefully. "Professor Rowan's assistant is off right now looking for Pokemon, and Lucas and I were his supposed next best things, but he doesn't trust us boys with it, so here. It's… delicate. You'll take care of it, right?"

I nodded. "Sure, not like I have anything better to do. Oh, by the way... thank you for giving a Pokemon to my little sister." I tacked on a the end, trying to look as pleased as possible (and probably failing miserably).

"No problem!" Barry exclaimed merrily. He then shot me a grin. "I actually was about to catch a Shinx for you, but then opted not to."

I could feel my eye brow twitch. "Now why the hell would you go and do that?" I yelled, rather frustrated.

"Look at you." He merely said in response. I looked down at myself, more or less the clothing I donned, and frowned. I had on a tight, light blue training top, decorated with white swirls- it exposing my toned abdomen and ever so slightly muscled arms, along with loose light blue pants with similar swirls on the pant legs. I had been working out before Amanda called to me. "Even spending your down time training- as much as even going out casually in those clothes! You're stupidly strong, probably strong enough to take out a bunch of Pokemon! You're 'The Girl Who Doesn't Need Pokemon'!"

_Scratch that..._

_My biggest peeve: Being called 'The Girl Who Doesn't Need Pokemon'!_

I grit my teeth, brows furrowed from the obvious irritation as I placed my hands on my hips. "Well, excuse me! Sorry for being healthy and fit!"

"Fit? Fit is just jogging, being able to run without getting out of breath fast, keeping slim- not being able to apprehend some semi-muscular thief trying to steal someone's Pokemon... _with ease_!" Barry exclaimed while throwing his arms up in the air.

"You know what? Screw this! I'm off to Lake Verity. Catch you later, _jerkwad_." I slung the orange backpack on one shoulder and pivoted on my heel, walking towards the direction of the lake.

"Don't be too cautious of the tall grass! I'm sure you could beat up the Pokemon and capture it!"

I didn't turn around to respond to this claim, I simply flipped off Barry and kept walking...

...

"AAAAAAAAAHHHHCHO!"

_Sniffle._

"Ah...ahhh... AAHCHO!"

_Sniiiiiiif!_

Smart move I made. I swear I showed pure genius.

The lake was excessively cold for the skimpy top I had on. I kept rubbing my arms with my hands to try and generate and retain some sort of heat. I looked out into the vast sea, then faced the tall grass, thinking about what kind of Pokemon inhabited the area. After a while of thought, and seriously considering what Barry told me, I noticed a patch of white moving about a-ways away in a field of grass and dirt near the shore. After squinting to get a better view, I noticed it was a white haired, probably old man dressed in an suit. Not particularly interested in what they might be doing, I diverted my attention back into the sea, looking towards the cave. The water is always too rough to find out what dwells in there, so it was always a mystery.

But that didn't matter to me right now. The fact that I did not have a Pokemon at all kept depressing me, especially after seeing Amanda happily holding her pokeball. I let out a long sigh.

_Rustle..._

I jerked my head to the direction of the grass, something, or rather, things moving oddly quick in there.

"Excuse me! You're a Pokemon trainer right?" a man I could identify as Professor Rowan came running up to me from behind. "A young Totodile is in danger, you have to help it!"

I stared at the Professor, dumbfounded. I certainly wasn't a trainer, and I'm sure Barry described me enough for him to know what I look like and steer clear from me when it came to Pokemon related business. But a Pokemon was in trouble, and no one was around to help it. After a short time of deliberation, I removed the backpack and placed it on the ground. "I'll take care of it, but please, watch that for me, and be careful with it!" And without further time being wasted, I was already on my way to the patch of grass. I pushed aside the thickets as I ran in, looking around frantically. The sound must have alerted the two Pokemon, because now, I had a small blue Crocodile and a medium sized purple dragon running towards me. If I'm right, that's Totodile and, from this one time I saw it during a Pokemon league match, I assumed a Gabite. The Totodile hid right behind me as the Gabite prepared to attack. If I didn't move fast, it'd be over for me. The Gabite lifted an arm, probably to scratch me with it's claw- I quickly lifted my arms and crashed them against the Gabite's, parrying it- then I took a breath in and moved it's arms, causing the Gabite to spin around, and I took advantage, giving it a kick on it's back and sending it forward. It turned around, giving me a furious glare and charged at me. I had enough time to grab the distraught Totodile by it's waist and jump over the Gabite, avoiding it's attack- while in mid air, using it's head as leverage, kicking it, and stunning it in the process. I held onto the Totodile for it's dear life and ran as fast as I could to the silver mass of hair I noticed earlier. After reaching the man, I fell to the floor, startling him from his digging, his shoulders obviously tensing when he realized my presence. From my spot on the floor, I placed the helpless Totodile down while the guy just merely observed me with his aqua eyes, blinking in bewilderment. "Please, if worse comes to worst, send this Totodile to Professor Rowan. I'll try to come back though!"

The white haired man stood up quickly in surprise as I quickly scrambled back to my feet. "What do you mean by that? What's going on?"

Before I could even think of actually explaining it to the man, I already took off, running back to the Gabite that was pursuing the Totodile and me. I slid on the back of my feet when I ran into it rather quickly- apparently the darn thing was hot on our trail. I quickly jumped back when it clawed at me, purple aura emanating from it's hand. Luckily I moved in time, that would have done major damage. I took my stance again, locking stares with the Gabite once more. It sucked in a breath, red swirling around it.

_Oh shit._

It was a flame attack. I quickly thought about all the possibilities, none that worked too well coming to mind. I prepared to move out of the way, but fire escaped Gabite's mouth, I was tackled onto the floor. "Aggron! Heavy Smash!" The floor rumbled as _huge_, monstrous, bipedal Pokemon silver and black in color released a bright light and smashed against the Gabite. Gabite fell against the floor and didn't move. It was too dazed to flinch. It was apparently an easy victory for the giant, blue eyed Pokemon.

I let out a sigh of relief as I propped myself on to my elbows. "Finally, that angry thing has been knocked out for at least a while…"

"Are you insane?!" The person above me yelled. I looked up and offered the white haired man a lop-sided grin. Lucky for me, he was actually a lot younger than he seemed from a far, and it seemed as if he were a skilled Pokemon trainer. "You seriously used hand to hand combat on that Gabite to protect this Totodile..." As if on cue, Totodile ran up to the both of us and looked at me with it's red bright eyes. "Thankfully and rather surprisingly, you didn't get injured, and you did get Totodile to a safe place. But really, if I hadn't stepped in, you could have..."

Before he could finish, the ground started shaking and quickly, it seemed as if we were surrounded by what looked like baby Gabites- they were cuter, much smaller, but equally as vicious looking. All these little bastards must have been carnivores. I grit my teeth and wondered just how we were going to escape, but was cut short when the little guys all started stampeding towards us. "Oh, shit!"

"Aggron! Use Hyperbeam!" Aggron didn't waste time as it moved near us, the man pushed me back down to the ground, keeping my head safe and Totodile jumped to the floor, protecting it's own head as Aggron aimed low, letting out a bright white beam, blowing away the baby Gabites and partially destroying the dirt floor.

I looked around at the now empty vicinity, shocked at how quickly this guy's Pokemon took out the masses of little ones. I let out a whistle as I propped myself onto my elbows "Now that's something..."

"Yeah, it would have been something alright had you still been alone!" The man reprimanded me as he stood to his feet. "You were endangered enough by a sole Gabite, imagine if you were alone when the Gibles came! They're carnivorous creatures, that could have gotten ugly fast!"

I blinked, confused. "Um... Thank you for all the concern, stranger." It felt weird for someone I didn't know to reprimand me- or care for my well being like that. I felt my face flush, and felt I had to explain. "I was just doing what I felt was right, really. I... didn't really mind what happened to me, as long as I saved that Totodile…"

The white haired man flinched slightly, then let out an ever so slight smile as he held out a hand to help me back up. "I see you're a good person, but that's not the right way to go. You know, if you had the capabilities to do some of the things Pokemon do, I'd say that-"

My face sunk. "I wouldn't need Pokemon, eh?"

"Yeah." The white haired man continued to smile. "Then I wouldn't have minded so much about your insane stunt, since you would have came out okay. But that's not possible, so be more careful." He then returned Aggron to it's Pokeball.

"Miss! I see the Totodile is safe!" Professor Rowan finally caught up, book bag slung over his shoulders. When he finally reached me, he passed off the bright orange bag. "I can't thank you enough that you went and saved it."

"No prob, Prof." I said as I shrugged. "I had some help, but you know, just trying to do what's right. Now I assume you want it back?"

Professor Rowan looked confused, then chuckled. "That's not my Totodile- it's a wild one. They're very rare around Sinnoh, which is most likely why it's of a different color."

"Oh." I scratched the back of my head. "Well then, I guess I'll let the little guy go."

"Why? Why don't you catch it? You have Pokeballs, right? I'm sure it'd want to be one of your partners after you rescued it." The Professor questioned me.

"No, I don't. I don't even have Pokemon. I'm Twinleaf Town's infamous Samantha Walker." I explained finally.

A look of knowing came across the Professor's face, which was quickly covered in a face of pure shock. "W-What? Then how did you save it from that Gabite?"

"She fought off the Gabite with hand to hand combat until I came in and helped. After that, Aggron chased away some Gibles that came for more." The white haired man cut in, explaining as Totodile ran off and started picking at some rocks near the shore. Thankfully I didn't have to go through the embarrassment of saying it myself. "It was absolutely crazy of her, but she approached me and didn't explain what she said, and it sound like she was prepared to die, so I followed her and ensured her safety."

Professor Rowan then turned to the white haired man and observed him for a second, then let out a sigh. "Ah, I'm relieved. There's no better help than Hoenn champion, Steven Stone's."

"..." It took me some moments to process the sentence, until I went gaping. "St-St-ST-ST-St-St...Ste...Steee...Steven... Stone... STEVEN STONE?" I whipped my head around at break neck speed to look at the white haired man. No wonder he defeated the pack of those little meat eaters so fast. "Oh God... Oh God! I got reprimanded by THE Steven Stone...Wait till Barry hears about this!"

Steven chuckled softly. "Not sure that's a good thing...but nonetheless, it seems that Totodile is fond of you. It wanted to run from my side and go back to help you against Gabite. Since you have no Pokeballs, here." Steven held out the usual red and white ball, I extended open palms and he dropped it in. "I'm sure you two would make a fine team."

"Thank you..." I looked at the pokeball in awe. This was going to be my first Pokemon.

"Ehrm." Professor Rowan let out a faux cough to let us know he was going to give some input. I faced him now. "Now that you have some sort of protection for venturing, would you like to help me by traveling the world and filling out a Pokedex?"

My eyes brightened as I let out a big smile. "Of course!"

Steven then pat me on the shoulder, garnering my attention. "I don't mean to dampen the celebration... But I'm sorry I'll have to take my leave, I went looking-"

"Toto!" The Totodile waved one hand vigorously as it came dashing towards the lot of us. It innocently held out a bright stone, emanating light, as if it were giving it to me as a gift.

"Wait a moment, that's what I was here looking for!" Steven exclaimed while looking in shock. Probably for how fast Totodile un-earthed it.

"You heard that, little guy. I'm gonna give the stone to him. Don't worry about it." I smiled while I took the stone and handed it to Steven.

"Dile, Dile!" Totodile signaled me to not move as it went back to the shore for some moments. It went digging quickly, then pulled out another rock and came running over to me and held it out, this time a rock encrusted with a gorgeous blue stone with a water drop pattern.

"Ain't this a water stone?" I asked, taking the rock into my hands and examining it with wide eyes.

"A water stone as well?" Steven seemed surprised. "It looks like your Totodile can uncover stones with ease..." Steven looked as if he were in thought for a second. "Would you mind terribly if your Totodile assisted on the search for rare stones sometimes?"

I shrugged. "Wouldn't mind, it'll allow it to go around and have fun."

"Ah... would you mind if I joined you on your journey through Sinnoh then?" Steven now asked.

"Sure, I don't..."

3...

2...

1...

"WHAT?!" I yelled in complete surprise. I could only manage to give Steven a stupified look.

"Are you actually against Steven joining you in your journey?" Rowan asked, an eyebrow raised.

I turned to the two men. "No way! I'm just shocked he'd go traveling with a newbie..."

"I was once a beginner too, you know." Steven added.

A grin slowly melted on my face as I pumped my fist in the air. "Alright then! It's settled! Starting now, we're traveling partners!"

-_End Chapter One._

A/N:

Totodile is a shiny Totodile with blue scales instead of the regular red ones. It has the ability to find rare rocks/stones/etc. It's the reason the Gabite was on the run for it. Totodile found the Shiny stone, Gabite wanted it, Totodile buried it and instinctively ran away from the Gabite, causing the Gabite to think he still had it. Totodile is male.

The moves Gabite used respectively are: Slash, Take Down, Dragon Claw, Flame Thrower. Incidentally, those are four attacks, but more or less, the Pokemon may end up using more than four attacks rather than having a base set of moves, like in the video games. Seems more realistic that they use whatever they can remember.

Well, that's all! See you in the next chapter!

-_The Painted Skies_


	2. The Road To Twinleaf

Pre Fic Note: This is the last "introductory" chapter before the actual journey itself is started (Leaving Twinleaf Town), hope it's enjoyed! Drop a message to let me know how I'm doing~! Share opinions, likes, dislikes-whatever you want C:

_DISCLAIMER: _I don't own Steven Stone, Professor Rowan, Totodile and Pokemon. I only own Samantha Walker. This is done for enjoyment while bored._Chapter 2: The Road Back To Twinleaf_

"Here you go, and good luck."

"UWAH!" I let out an out of character squeal and stared at the hi-tech red device in my hands for a few moments before curiously pressing a button.

"_Samantha Walker. Age, 17. Hometown, Twinleaf. Pokemon Captured… one._" The monotone mechanical voice called out, giving my profile.

My eyes gleamed and I squealed once more. "UWAH, this is SO cool!" I further continued tinkering with my brand new Pokedex, now pointing it at Gator and checking out his moves as he stared at me with an innocent expression. I liked the notion of having Totodile outside of the Pokeball, so he could experience everything first hand- the reason Gator is outside right now.

"Before you feel the necessity to run out and see every single Pokemon you can..." Professor Rowan cut in on my antics. I quickly jerked my head, paying extra attention with a rather out of character smile plastered on my face. "Remember to let your mother know you'll be off on your journey." I nodded vigorously. Steven seemed amused. "And remember, when you have too many Pokeballs in your possession, you can always go to the nearest Pokemon Center and deposit them." More vigorous nods from me in response. Professor Rowan sighed. "Steven... I know she's not exactly your responsibility and you're not obliged to have to do any work for her, but... do keep an eye on her... at least until she matures a bit. I'm a little... worried. She's worse than a kid in a candy store…"

"It's the least I can do in payment of her allowing Totodile to assist me." Steven responded cordially. "I promise to keep her safe."

Professor Rowan nodded. "Very good."

Not bothering to see if the conversation was over with and ignoring the fact that I was being dissed by Rowan, I slightly tugged at Steven's sleeve. "Can I show you to my mom so she wouldn't have to worry that I'm probably with some random sleezy guy? I also kinda bolted this morning, so the family might be worried."

Steven looked at Professor Rowan to see if all business was settled, and the Professor offered a nod. "Lead the way." Steven answered simply in response...

...

"Cripes!" I yelped as soon as I walked outside and the chilly breeze hit me. By now it was early evening, and my training top was helping me even less. My teeth chattered as I kept rubbing my arms and abdomen, trying to generate heat.

"Here, use this." Steven unhooked two metal armbands, unbuttoned and shook off the blazer he was wearing- the one he was famous for (what the fans recognized as champion attire, if you will). A black blazer with 2 purple zig zagged stripes along the front and he draped it across my shoulders. "Put it on and button it."

"Er... thank you..." I said a little shyly as I put the orange back pack on the floor carefully and stuck my arms through the sleeves, the sleeves being a bit too long, and managed to get my fingers to peak out. I then buttoned it and slung the back pack on again, starting to walk. "It feels kind of weird adventuring with an older guy, but that you're being nice to me, it's even... weirder, for lack of better words." I kept my eyes glued on the floor.

"Older guy?" Steven questioned, chuckling slightly. "Just how old do you think I am?"

I put a finger to my bottom lip in thought. "Er. Well... At least 25 through 27?"

"And why do you think I'm that old?" Steven questioned, rather than telling me if I was right or wrong.

"Well... um..." I scratched the back of my head- a nervous habit. Guessing someone's age never felt like a good thing to do, as being very wrong kind of felt like it was an insult. "You're mature and dress the part..."

Steven merely smiled. "I'm close to your age range. I'm 20."

I stopped walking and stared at him, wide eyed. Clearly, describing myself as embarrassed wasn't going to cut it. He wasn't some prestigious older guy… he was a prestigious, attractive _young man_. I felt like an idiot for guessing so high. "...Er... I... um..." After a brief moment after not making eye contact, I managed to mutter, "You're pretty young for holding that title for a while..."

Steven laughed at my probably red face. I glared as best as I could. "Don't worry, hardly anyone guesses right. After all, I do help my father with important business from the Devon Corporation, since he's the owner, and I'm his son." Now instead of glaring, my eyes were completely wide, still staring at him. Talented champion and business man? Damn. "Stop with that look and let's keep moving, that doesn't matter anyway- I'm in Sinnoh looking for rare stones, not for business, nor for anything related to being former champion." That's when he placed a hand on my back and gave me a slight push to start walking.

I complied and began, taking rather big steps to match his stride, Gator almost jogging to keep the pace with its' small legs. I zipped my lips although I was extremely curious about the 'former champion' part. After some short time, we reached the high thickets of grass leading back to Twinleaf- and the silence was almost unbearable. "Why are you looking for rare stones?"

"It's because it's what I like to do." Steven answered, smile back on his face.

I let a smile replace the curious look on my face, until my foot got caught on a thick tree root and I fell to the ground. "Ow..." What I get for not paying attention...

"Are you okay?" Steven kneeled as he asked me, observing my face almost kissing the floor- my cheek pressed against the dirt.

"Just peachy... don't worry about me." I commented as I dizzily got back on my feet and dusted myself off.

_Rustle!_

My attention was sparked as the lot of us heard something moving in the grass around us. Gator and I looked around with extreme caution while Steven seemed amused by our reaction.

_Rustle rustle!_

Out from the grass, a cat like Pokemon emerged. It looked at us surprised, and seemed ready to attack. I pulled the Pokedex out of my pant pocket and pointed it at the feline, black, white and pink in color, with a coiled tail. _"Glameow, the Catty Pokemon. It hides its spiteful tendency of hooking its claws into the nose of its trainer if it isn't fed. It is weak against fighting type attacks."_

"Weak against physical moves eh?" I took a fighting stance and began to approach it. "Then this'll be-"

"Hold it." Steven's voice rung in my ear, his hand clapping with mine, pulling me back and stopping me. "The fighting type attacks of _Pokemon_, not humans. Leave the battling to Totodile now. Trust him."

"Oh..." I looked dumbfounded for a moment, reaching within my memory for Gator's attacks. "Oh! Gator, use Watergun!"

"Toto!" Gator jumped up in the air, getting closer to the Glameow before letting out a forceful spray of water, knocking down the cat, and seeming to incapacitate it as it lay on the ground, unable to move. Gator ran towards me looking up, happy.

"See, I told you to trust him."

I nodded and kneeled, patting Gator on the head. "Good job, boy." Something seemed to worry me though- how fast the Glameow fainted. I knew the Totodile wasn't that trained yet, as it was just caught from the wild, and was running away from the Gabite earlier. I was aware Gabite must have been significantly stronger, as it was evolved, but Gator seemed to be as much of a battling greenhorn as I was. I walked up to Glameow and brushed it's fur to the side- noticing cuts and bruises on it. Worried, I looked around, noticing someone going into Lake Verity- a suspicious person with blue hair. I wondered if he was connected to Glameow's injury and started heading to Lake Verity myself, Gator immediately running to keep up with me.

"Hey, I thought we were heading to Twinleaf, what's wrong?" Steven questioned as he started catching up to me.

"That Glameow had been abused... I'm seeing if the person involved went into Lake Verity. He seemed oddly dressed."

Steven looked a little shocked, then nodded. "Alright, I understand." He then quickened his pace to match mine.

After escaping the mass of foliage, the two of us saw the entrance and slowed our pace, walking into the lake to be unnoticed. Standing by the water was the man I saw earlier- piercing blue hair with very odd clothing- silver colored. He seemed to be talking. I listened closely. "The flowing time... The expanding space... I will make it all mine one day... Cyrus is my name. Remember it... Until then, sleep while you can, legendary Pokemon of the lake bed..." I didn't understand what he meant at all. To me, he seemed like an eerie whack-job. The only thing I managed to garner was that he must have been speaking of the legendary 'Pokemon of Emotion'- as the sign outside of the Lake read. The man then turned around, facing Steven and I. He slowly walked up to the entrance and stopped where both of us were, pretty much blocking it. "Allow me to pass." He said simply, looking down at me. I didn't move, only gave an intense glare. "Step aside." He said a little gruffly. I continued to stay in place until Steven grabbed me by the arm and pulled me towards him. The man said nothing, only left.

"Don't just idle with someone like that. He gave me a funny feeling." Steven mentioned a little anxiously- I could see it in his face. "I said I'd protect you, don't go getting hurt already."

I frowned. "That whacko worries me though... Even though I have a feeling it wasn't him who hurt that Glameow."

"Actually, let's go check on it." Steven nodded toward the direction we were to head to and we hurried off to the area.

When we got there, I saw some woman was there, dressed in a funny-looking mid thigh length black and white turtle neck dress with a G in the center, along with silver leggings and sleeves- she kicked the Glameow pretty hard. "That son of a-" I tried springing off for her, but Steven held me back.

"Don't. You see that man was probably with her from their attire, so there's probably more people around." Steven warned.

As much as I wanted to go over her and beat the living hell out of her, I obliged and decided to listen. "You worthless Pokemon! I leave you here for a few moments, and you get beaten again! I might as well leave you here to freeze and die. A total shame to Team Galactic..." The woman tossed her pokeball to the ground and turned around, starting to walk. "I'll just tell the boss you ran away and died or something so I can get you replaced..."

After a few moments of waiting until she was far enough, I ran over to the Glameow- it was unconscious now. I scooped it up and decided to take it with me, grabbing the pokeball and jamming it into my pocket. Standing up, I glared towards the direction where the woman walked off. I swore that she'll get hers.

"You did the right thing not attacking her..." Steven said as he pet the unconscious Glameow.

I remained quiet, silently stewing as I lead the way back to my place...

...

"..." Amanda stared at me, her eyes all dewy- it was a strange, hopeful look.

"..." My eyebrow twitched instinctively as I looked down at the girl. I was hoping I could just go straight to bed as it was a long as hell day- but it was now 11pm, and I was just returning home wearing a man's jacket… said man in tow.

"...MOM! Sam came back! She brought me a nice future brother too!" Amanda called out while excitedly making a dash for my mom, hair bouncing as she ran off.

"That's not it! Don't tell mom lies like that before I end up six feet under!" I yelled after her, cheeks slightly rouging from embarrassment.

"WHAT? Sam's finally back?" I heard Barry's voice call out from the living room, followed by stomping toward the doorway- where Steven and I still remained grounded.

I turned around to Steven, covering a side of my mouth with a hand and keeping my voice hushed. "In future reference, I'm sorry for the chaos..."

Steven only managed to blink before Barry stormed into the small hall for the doorway. "Geeze, I was worried about you and stayed over here until now! I was thinking that you probably listened to me about the Pokemon in the tall grass and got hurt or something-" Barry waved his finger as he quickly spoke, not taking a single breath. When he finally realized I wasn't the only one there, he immediately stopped moving and talking, brown eyes blinking as he stared at the lot of us in the door- Gator looking up excitedly, Steven giving the best smile he could possibly offer amidst the confusion, Glameow still fast asleep within my grasp and me, looking away with a half-irritated pout. "Er… what's with the random Pokemon? And he looks familiar..." Barry leaned towards Steven, observing him further, Steven only managing to step back a bit. After a bit of tapping his chin with his finger, his eyes widened, probably in his realization. "YOU-NO WAY! Aren't you Hoenn's Champion-"

"OH MY GOD! Is that Steven Stone on my door step?" My mother practically hollered as Amanda dragged her out toward the large group. I could see my mom mouth 'Go back upstairs' to Amanda as the little girl nodded and took off to her room.

"Yes, that's me. It is a pleasure to meet you all." Steven replied politely as I began rubbing my temples.

My mother grabbed Barry by the collar and pulled him inside, making space for us on the doorstep. "I've saw almost all of your matches on TV with my girls! Well, come on in! And Barry, you get home before your mom worries about you."

Barry pulled free from my mom's grip on his collar and squeezed by the both of us in the doorway, then stopped before leaving. "You have to explain what's the deal tomorrow!" And after he said that, he was already gone. That boy had the attention span of a fruit fly.

"Well, what're you waiting for? Come in!" I heaved a long sigh as nodded at Steven to follow me and led him to the living area, plopping down on a red leather sofa, Steven taking the seat next to mine. "What brings you around these parts? And what are you doing hanging around with my daughter of all people? Seems so unlikely!"

"Thanks ma, love you too..." I mumbled as I pet Glameow.

"That's actually something the two of us wished to discuss with you." Steven rather seriously begun.

"Really?" My mother's eyes were practically gleaming as she clapped her hands together. "Do explain!"

Another sigh. "Nothing in the tracks you're following, ma. You see this Totodile and this Glameow?"

"Are they Mr. Stone's?" She questioned, ridiculous smile still plastered on her face.

"No." Steven shook his head. "I only train steel types, Ma'am."

"They're mine." I said, leaning back against the sofa. "And I plan to go on a journey to fill up the Pokedex, assisting Professor Rowan."

My mom went wide eyed for a moment. "W-what...?"

"She does not intend to go alone- I will be accompanying her on her journey." Steven said with a smile. "And I can ensure you that she will be well protected."

"Mr. Stone..." My mom stood up to her feet. "I do understand that her personal safety will be ensured going with you, since you are a more than capable champion..." She said, rather serious for a change. "But as a mother, I'm still going to worry, because you know... you are a man."

My face sunk. "Ma... seriously...?"

"I know how you are- and would have been fine if you _finally _got yourself a boyfriend, had you still been staying in Twinleaf." She crossed her arms as she looked down at me- I immaturely stuck out my tongue and crossed my own arms, muttering a low 'Blech.' "But away in a long journey, only a guy and a Numbskull like you... I think you'd be easy to fool and it would be simple to take advantage of you of thanks to your emotions. So I'm only trying to take precautions."

"I understand ma'am." Steven stood up and extended a hand. "I promise to have her check in alone at a Pokemon Center in every new town and city."

My mother grinned. "Such a responsible young man. I feel like I can trust you."

"Oh, for crying out loud…" I mumbled as I scrunched my nose. "I'm going on a Pokemon journey, not going off to get betrothed. You didn't give Ken this much trouble…"

"That's because your brother is a man. Men are normally much more capable of defending themselves." My mom pointed out while nodding to herself. "You should tell him to visit while you're out there."

"Yeah, yeah…"

"M-mommy... Sam... is what you're talking about true?" I put the Glameow down on the arm rest of the sofa once I heard the childish voice call from the entrance to the living room and turned around. Amanda was now hesitantly walking towards where the rest of us were. _Shit._ I had planned to go without telling her a thing, but here we all are, openly discussing it.

"Amanda..." My mom started, running over to the young girl.

The little pigtailed girl snivelled as she looked over at me. "You're leaving us?"

I looked up and huffed, thinking of what to say. Then I walked over to the little girl and reached a hand out, ruffling the girl's hair, grinning. "I'm just going on my own journey, like Ken! Tell you what- I'll come back to visit once I catch me a flying Pokemon! Otherwise, you can tag a long with mom when she goes to talk to me over the video phone, alright?"

She fished in her pink dress' pocket and pulled out her shiny pokeball. "Take Starly… Starly will grow up to be big and strong… and be able to take you back home whenever..."

The gesture touched me, and I didn't even know what to do- it was saddening, to say the least. I looked down, unsure of how to act, tears surely brimming in my eyes- my little sister was one of my soft spots. Steven noticed and approached Amanda, kneeling down and patting the girl on the head. "Your big sister wants to catch and raise a strong Pokemon of her own- she wants to come back and show you how strong she's become... you should wait until then, okay, Amanda?"

My little sister sniffled as she quietly thought about it, then after a bit of a while, managed the best grin she could. "I...I think I understand... I will! I know Sam will be so much cooler! She likes being strong... I...I won't see her off since I know it'll make her feel weak and cry… I'll go and start waiting now... Bye Sam, bye mister!"

With that, she waved quickly and stormed up stairs, my mom letting out a sigh of relief. "Nice save... I'll leave you two to talk here about preparations for the journey. Steven can sleep in the living room and _you_ go to your own bed afterwards." She waved a finger for emphasis. "I'll go and take care of Amanda."

I rolled my eyes again, thinking my mom's suspicions were ludicrous. "Really? You had to go and murder the moment that way?" I muttered under my breath.

"We understand- thank you for your hospitality, and good night Mrs. Walker." Steven gave a slight nod as my mom waved and walked up the stairs. A thick silence filled the room until Steven broke it by sitting down on the sofa, the sofa letting out a squeak as he did. "Today was certainly eventful. You should try getting some rest so you can wake up early and get yourself ready."

For a moment I stayed grounded, then finally let myself plop on the sofa, sinking down quickly- Glameow was still soundly sleeping. "I owe you again. You saved me from the worst 'good bye' possible. I think it really will be easier leaving without seeing her crying face." I ran a hand through my hair, pulling my bangs out of my face. "Today was hell..."

Steven looked at me, obviously perplexed. "Then why did you join me here? You should go to bed like I have suggested-"

"I don't want to be alone." I cut in at a very audible mumble. Steven's face now reflected that he didn't know how to respond to that. I immediately got embarrassed and started flailing a bit. "Er... wh-what I meant was... well... today was a bit much to swallow alone in my room immediately. I'd like to sit in the presence of someone for a bit..."

"It's okay. I understand, you needn't speak when you don't want to anymore." Steven said as he pat my shoulder.

"Thank you, again." I said as I picked up my legs and hugged them with my arms, balling up.

I closed my eyes, remembering the attack on Gator, the Gibles and Steven saving me, Gator joining me and getting my Pokedex, the odd man in the Lake Bed- Cyrus, and saving Glameow after it was abused and abandoned...

Taking the good with the bad...

Learning just how harsh the world is outside the safety of Twinleaf...

Slowly, everything faded to black.

...

_End Chapter 2_


	3. Firsts

A/N: Finally, I return to this fic! I had no idea how to continue it for the longest- but now, I'm finally giving it a shot! As usual, I appreciate any comments on it! Let me know if you like it or hate it or any other things you'd like to mention about it! This chapter may end up shorter than others.

_**Disclaimer**: _**I don't own Pokemon, Steven, Rowan, Barry or any of the canon characters. Only Samantha Walker**.

_Chapter 3: _**Firsts**

It was a glorious day.

The sun was poised within the center of the afternoon sky, small patches of pure white clouds painted here and there. The breeze was satisfying, strong enough to feel refreshing, but soft enough to not make it cold. All factors made it perfect.

But there I was, staggering through the grass while clutching onto my head, grumbling from the pain. Steven tried his best to remain polite, but I heard soft laughter escape every time I dramatically leaned to a side. "Are you sure you're okay, Miss Walker?"

"Yeah, I'm _fine._" I emphasized while turning around, crossing my arms over my chest. "But that viscous woman! I mean, sure… I did exactly what she didn't want me to do, but it didn't mean she had to slap me upside the head _that_ hard!"

Steven stifled a chuckle. "Your mother was just worrying about her eldest daughter. She feels her daughter's safety is threatened in the presence of a man."

"If that was the case… Why did she have to clock me one instead of the dude who's threatening my supposed safety?!" I yelled, almost losing my balance. "I can't even see straight!"

"I know, I apologize. I should have sent you off to your own room, but I seemed to have dozed off." I could his lips tug into a smile. He was clearly amused.

I shot him a pout. "Uh huh… sure you're sorry… Anyways, this stupid mofo bolted before even saying good bye to his mom!" I then waved a parcel around vehemently, showcasing my irritation. "I know Barry has a tendency to hop from one thing to the next like a half-brained goldfish, but freakin' seriously! Who knows if that boy will still be in Jubilife by the time we get there!"

"I'm sure we'll be able to find him, Miss Walker." Steven pat my shoulder, giving me a reassuring smile.

"Just Sam is fine." I said while looking back at him, staggering once more while trying to manage a grin. "And I hope…" I muttered. As I continued trying to walk, a wild, strange looking, buck toothed Pokemon appeared from the bushes. I perked up, whipping out my Pokedex quickly, pointing it at the quadrapedal Pokemon.

The Pokedex read it's info in it's monotonous voice. "Bidoof, the plump mouse Pokemon. With nerves of steel, nothing can perturb it. It is more agile and active than it appears. It constantly gnaws on logs and rocks to whittle down it's front teeth. It nests along side water. It is a normal type and has a disadvantage against fighting types."

"Alright! Another one weak against fighting!" I rolled up the sleeves of my jacket, getting ready to pounce. Steven then tugged on the neck of my jacket and pulled me back. "Hey! What gives?!"

"Haven't I told you already? It's weak against the fighting attacks of _Pokemon_, not _humans_. You have a Totodile for a reason, remember?" Steven sighed while shaking his head lightly. "It's going to take you a while to ease into the concept, isn't it?"

I blinked slowly, the fact that I now had a comrade to fight with sinking in ever so slowly. "Oh… Oh yeah!" Gator then moved in front of me, getting ready to battle. "Alright, Gator! Use scratch attack!" Gator then moved towards Bidoof and gave it a good scratch. Bidoof reeled back, but readied itself to attack. It moved towards Gator, and tackled it, Gator stumbling to the ground. "How dare you hurt my Gator!" I winded my foot back and gave Bidoof a strong kick to the ass. It flew in the air momentarily before hitting a tree. It then shook itself off before approaching again, readying to battle.

Steven's jaw went slack. "Did you just seriously do that?" He asked, while pinching the bridge of his nose with his thumb and index finger, a ring on his index glaring from the sunlight. "Are you nuts? You aren't supposed to jump in your Pokemon's battle! One, you can seriously get hurt and two, they can manage themselves! If anything else, you can return them to their Pokeballs!"

"Sorry!" I yelled nervously while watching Gator battle with Bidoof. "I'm just worried that Gator might get hurt- Use Watergun!" I yelled as Bidoof neared Gator, Gator sucking in, preparing for his attacking and dodging Bidoof's tackle. He then shot out a heavy spray of water, incapacitating the Bidoof. I beamed as Gator ran contently over to me. "Good job, Gator!" I lifted the small crocodile in the air, holding him up proudly.

"Toto!" Gator squirmed in delight.

I set down Gator as I turned to Steven, the older man still seeming somewhat displeased. I simpered as I rubbed the back of my head. "Okay, maybe what I did was a little overboard…"

"A _little_? You kicked a wild Pokemon with all your might. I'm not sure you quite understand from the first time we met, not all Pokemon take well to things like that."

"Hey, I can defend myself, you know!" I yelled, placing a hand on a hip and using the other one to point. "I'm not some helpless chick who always needs rescuing, like in those drippy romance movies and novelas!"

"You may believe you can, but this is real life! These are creatures that, even the smallest of them, can easily over power humans!" Steven seemed exasperated with my reckless impulse. "I don't want you to do something that crazy again. I promised I would keep you safe, didn't I? You're going to make it difficult if you're going to run all fool-hardy into the face of danger every time."

"_Excuse_ me?" I asked, narrowing my eyes. It felt like I was being mocked. "I will prove myself if I have to!"

Steven let out a huff of air, then placed his hands on each of my shoulders, looking at me in the eyes sternly. I felt my face heat up a little under his intense gaze. "You can get seriously hurt, okay? I'm worried about your safety. You never know if there's a time we could accidentally get split up and I can't keep an eye on you. It's not that I don't believe you're strong, but rather what you're putting yourself up against. I believe in your strength and conviction, but you can't be the one to fight. Totodile is your partner, fighting for you. Please, try to understand these fights are ones where you can even get killed. Didn't that wild Gabite prove that already?"

I blinked a few times before looking down to my shoes. They suddenly seemed kind of interesting. "I… I'm sorry… I promise that I'll try to stop doing that. It's… force of habit to think I'm strong… I… I never dealt with Pokemon..."

"It's a terrible one…" Steven let go of my shoulders as he now began leading the way. "I'm sure in due time, you'll move past that. For now, let's focus on getting out of here and getting to your friend, Samantha."

"Just Sam is fine!" I complained as Gator and I dashed to catch up with him.

"But I prefer Samantha. It's a step-up from Miss Walker, right?" Steven inquired while he nodded self-approvingly.

I puffed up my cheeks defiantly as I crossed my arms over my chest. "Fine…"

…

"Back in Sandgem, and in pretty good time!" I cheered as I stretched my arms in the air. "Time to get you checked, Gator!"

"Toto! Dile dile!" Gator chirped merrily as the two of us began hop-skipping to the Pokemon center, rushing in through the doors.

"I'll wait outside while you go in. Leave Gator to be checked while you talk to your mother, okay?" Steven reminded me as he leaned against the glass walls of the Pokemon center.

I looked back as I shot a thumbs up. "Aye aye!"

As I walked up to the counter, a pink haired woman awaited me with a smile. "Hello! My name is Nurse Joy. Is there any way I can help you?"

"Mhm! Can I have Gator here go through a check up? Also, where's the phone?" I asked, a gigantic smile plastered on my face.

"Certainly, I'll take your Totodile right away! As for the phone, over there in that corner. I'll have your Totodile ready in 15 minutes, okay?"

"Okay!" I nodded as I walked briskly towards the phone, fighting the urge to run. I quickly dialed the numbers and awaited as the phone rang once. Twice. Three times.

"Hello?" My mom's voice rang through in a sing song voice. Only her.

"Hey ma! I made it over to Sandgem! I got into a battle with a wild Pokemon, and Gator did extremely well!" I was boasting, but I felt I deserved the right. It took me damn near long enough to finally get a Pokemon…

"That's great, dear! I'm sure you'd like to know how that Glameow is doing, and I'm happy to say that she's awake and now walking around. She seems a little scared, but I think she's a sweet little thing! Ah, also! How's Steven treating you?"

I felt relived, knowing that Glameow's condition had recovered. With a happy sigh, I continued talking. "That's amazing about Glameow! I'm happy! About Steven… he's a little… serious. But I guess it's good! He's treating me well and keeping me safe. I guess he's trying to prevent me from having another near death experience."

"Near death what?" My mom asked, her voice becoming serious.

My lips tightened into a fine line and my eyebrows furrowed as I just remembered… I didn't tell her about everything that happened over at Lake Verity… I only told her I was starting a journey. "Um… well… you see… It was but a fortnight ago. I was traveling on my own, when I found a startling discovery… er…"

"You better start talking normally and spit it out, before, so-help-me-Arceus, I go over there and rip you a new one!" My mother impatiently yelled.

I'm sure it was now evident where I got my attitude from.

"Okay, okay, geeze. You don't have to get all violent…You see, Gator was being chased by some dragon Pokemon, and I tried to stop it with my bare hands. It tried to use some fire type attack, but Steven stepped in and saved me right in time." I was rolling my eyes while scratching my head, awaiting her angry response.

And as I foretold, she was pretty pissed. I could tell she was trying to hold back. "You better count your damn lucky stars he was in the area! Are you nuts! Attacking a dragon type… of all the dumb-" I could hear her muttering all sorts of colorful words under her breath. "Do you always have to be so reckless?!"

"Oh, look at the time!" I pretended to look at a watch, although she couldn't exactly see me. "I'm at the Pokemon center, and I need to pick up Gator so Steven and I can continue to Jubilife city! I'll call you maybe tomorrow morning? If not, the next few days, okay? Okay! Love you mom!"

"Wait-"

Before the angered woman could continue, I slammed the phone on the receiver and waited near Joy, picking up Gator when he was ready and leaving the center. Steven perked up as I went outside. "Everything's fine? You spoke with your mother, I'm assuming?"

"Yeah! Everything's… uh… Peachy!" I wore a grin as I began tugging on Steven's sleeve. "So c'mon! Let's go, before night falls!"

The silver haired man lightly shrugged as he followed me…

…

We headed to Route 202, hoping to be able to move quickly and make it to Jublife before nightfall. We shoved the thickets of grass aside, trying to walk though carefully. A small bird flapped out in front of Steven and I, and I quickly fiddled through my pockets for my Pokedex. I pointed the device at it as I recognized the bird as the same Pokemon my sister Amy was gifted.

"Starly. The starling Pokemon. Usually with a large flock, it is barely noticeable when alone. It's cries are very strident and although small, they flap their wings with great power. It is a flying type."

"Alright, Gator!" I yelled as I pointed outwards, Gator running in front of me, preparing to battle. I looked over to the side for a quick moment to see Steven looking somewhat content that I didn't try to throw myself into the fray once more. "Hit it with Watergun!"

"Toto!" Gator sucked in a breath as he let out a strong stream of water. Starly avoided it swiftly for a while until Gator managed to turn up the power and get a strike in.

"Now follow it up with a scratch!" Gator moved quickly, moving it's claws outwards and getting the hit on Starly. Starly fell back harshly, then slowly tried to recovering, shaking as it tried to stand on it's feet. An idea hit me as I began pawing the Pokeballs now placed on a holster on my shorts. I grabbed the capture device and with all the strength I could muster, chucked it at the Starly. The Pokeball gave a few quick shakes before it remained still, Starly evidently getting captured. "Yes!" I ran up to the Pokeball on the ground and picked it up, admiring it gleefully.

"Congrats on your first capture." Steven clapped softly. I could feel a sense of joy fill me from the way he said it. It felt good to do it myself. "Do you have any idea for a name?"

I put a finger on my lip as I gave it some thought. "I like Estelle."

"I like it." Steven nodded. "It fits a Starly. We should hurry off to Jubilife though, so that way, you can have it tended in the Pokemon Center. It's probably really weak, so you shouldn't call it yet."

"Alright, then let's go! C'mon, Gator!" I dashed on ahead, leaving the two behind.

"Be careful! You shouldn't run on ahead without Gator!" Steven reprimanded.

I looked back, still running ahead. "Aw, c'mon! I'll make sure nothing happens, worry wart!"

"A trainer?" I heard a voice inquire. I perked up as I moved the grass away to meet with whoever owned the voice. There stood a young boy in a orange shirt and denim shorts and hat. He was holding out his Pokeball, seeming sort of eager. "You're a trainer and so I am! We have to battle!"

He tossed out his Pokeball before I could even get a chance to agree or decline and out popped a Bidoof. I hopped back a little as Steven and Gator just caught up to me. "Gator, sorry, but looks like I need you again!"

Gator seemed happy to oblige. He stepped forward, ready to battle.

And fortunately enough, the Bidoof was easy to beat.

When he lost, he introduced himself as Tristan. I felt bad, because y'know… beating little kids doesn't derive the best feeling in the world.

But my mind quickly changed as a few more kids huddled around towards where they heard the battle… and all challenged me.

Gator did surprisingly well against the small mass of about 4 kids, going from round to round, but he let out a tired yawn after all of the shenanigans. I let out my own tired moan while looking up to the darkening sky. Those brats ate a lot of time…

"Let's hurry to Jubilife to get your Pokemon and ourselves rested." Steven said as he began taking charge, leading the way.

"Where are we going to rest though? I never thought about that… It's not like I have a tent to pitch or something…" I said, looking thoughtful for once.

"…I'm surprised you don't think about those things sooner…" Steven shook his head. "There are rooms in the Pokemon center. We'll be staying there for the night. As for when there's no Pokemon center around, I'll take care of that." Steven sounded confident that he had a solution, so I just nodded absentmindedly as I followed him.

When we arrived at the center, I gave in Starly and Gator and waited a while until they were returned to me. I attached Starly's Pokeball to the holster on my shorts once more and carried Gator.

"We'd like a room, please." Steven asked a woman who strangely looked exactly like Nurse Joy from Sandgem.

She smiled at Steven as she handed over a single key. "This room has two double beds. I hope you find it accommodating!"

"Yes, that's fine. Thank you, Nurse Joy." Steven waved the woman off as he walked towards a set of stairs.

My mouth fell agape as I stared at the woman. There was no way Nurse Joy could have gotten to this Pokemon center that fast, unless she flew… or better yet… was _cloned_ or something. I knocked the insane imaginations from my mind and finally decided to question the tall man leading the way to our room. "Why is it just a single room? I mean, we're different genders and stuff…"

"Normally, traveling mates are given a room to share. Some places get a lot of trainers staying the night, and since Jubilife is a busy city, it's definitely one of them." Steven simply answered as he turned down a hall and put the key into the knob, opening the door and flicking the light on.

"I… see…" I understood the concept, but thought it was a bit un-accommodating. I entered the room and placed Gator down on the closest bed before flopping on it. "Well, I guess it's fine. At least it's you and not some letch. Then my mom would have really had my neck. And your family jewels too, probably."

Steven raised an eyebrow at my statement, almost caught off guard. "You could use to phrase things a little delicately, Samantha."

"You make it sound like I'm in trouble every time…" I whined as I kicked my legs up and down, Gator mimicking the motion. "At least I said it in an indirect way?" I then started to wiggle out of my pastel blue jacket, leaving me in a turquoise mid riff shirt as I tossed the jacket onto a nearby chair. I then kicked my boots off and squirmed higher on the bed to get my pastel blue, thigh high leg warmers off. I still managed to dress somewhat warmly while using shorts and a mid riff. I figured I'd get hot if I over did it, since I'm always so active.

"You're so odd…" Steven chuckled. I looked over at him to see him drape his blazer onto the back of the chair, untie his cravat and unbutton his sleeves, rolling them up to mid elbow. I admired how he had a fancy air, was caring, yet still seemed tough. I could see his forearm looked nicely built, probably from his hobby, mining. He then looked over at me, his aqua eyes remaining on my ice-blue orbs. "Anything wrong?" He questioned, sounding concerned.

"Nope! Just sleepy…" I looked away, then tugged on the blanket on the bed, pulling them up towards my body, to no avail.

Steven laughed in amusement as he went towards the closet, pulling a blanket out. "Normally, there are sheets elsewhere. I probably should have told you that."

"Maybe…" I had a pout, my face slightly red from the embarrassment. "I'm not used to traveling and stuff, so y'know…"

"I know, I know." Steven wore a light smile as he draped the blanket over me. "Get some sleep, okay? You seem tired and half way delirious."

"Hey…" I shot a weak glare before turning around quickly, covering myself completely with the blanket. A smile melted on my face as I closed my eyes and started to drift.

That day was much better than the previous day. I got to learn the pleasantries of capturing Pokemon, battling against other trainers (although they seem a little too eager to go at it), and how interesting it is to have to spend all your time with someone un-related to you.

I had to give it to Steven though, he must have an infinite amount of patience to deal with someone like me.

There was no doubt about that.

_End Chapter 3: _**Firsts_._**

A/N: Finally, finally, finallllly! It has taken me way more than long enough to write the next chapter to this fic!

Let me know what you think! Review and the like to let me know what you like and dislike! I'll try to work on the next chapter much faster than I worked on this one, considering this one took me nearly two years to even get to… aha…

Well, till next time!

_-The Painted Skies_


	4. Cat and Mouse

A/N: This chapter is probably the strangest chapter I wrote for anything. I guess I should warn that there's a lot of P.O.V. jumps, though they will be specified. Let me know what you think about this fic! Feed back is great and it may allow for more ideas! Questions sometimes gets me thinking about things I never considered (like one I do plan to answer once I put this up, haha ). Well, here goes nothing!

_Disclaimer_: **I do not own Pokemon, Steven Stone, Barry or any one else, only Samantha Walker and her family.**

_Chapter Four: _**Cat and Mouse**

_3__rd__ Person P.O.V._

Steven Stone shifted in his bed, the light from the window irritating his eyes. The silver haired man let out a light groan as he sat up, slowly blinking his aqua eyes. He rubbed his eyes tiredly as he looked over to the bed of his travel mate. It was empty, and on top of a horribly bundled blanket laid a note. Steven raised from his bed and walked over to it, grabbing it and examining it, the penmanship pretty impressive for a girl like Samantha. The words were rather neat, written in a nice script.

'_Hey Steven,_

_I went off to find Barry extra early, so don't worry about me! I'm sure you'll be able to find me in the trainer's school, so feel free to catch up with me there if you'd like. See ya later! _

_-Sam'_

Steven lightly chuckled when he saw a little cartoonish self-portrait Samantha attempted of herself holding the peace sign. He then placed the note on the night stand near his bed before laying back down, shutting his eyes.

It only lasted but for a few moments as the former champion of Hoenn bolted upright, eyes widening. "What on Earth am doing, going back to sleep of all things! That hot blooded, naïve girl could cause a world of trouble, for herself and others! Or worse, she could possibly end up lost in the city… or accidentally stumble onto one of the routes and get herself injured. Or…" Steven attempted to will away his spiral of negative thoughts and reached for his blazer as he began undoing the buttons of his shirt, heading towards the bathroom. He was startled as he slipped and nearly fell. He then surveyed the bathroom with wide eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose when he realized how soaked the tiled floors were, puddles of water bunched up in various places.

He figured the girl must have bathed Totodile with the state the bathroom was in. With a sigh, he shut the door to take a quick shower…

…

_Samantha's P.O.V._

"What do you mean 'he's not here'?!" I yelled at one of the instructors over at that Pokemon school, running a free hand through my hair. They had to be kidding. Barry must have been in Jubilife for a short period of time. I knew the boy had a dangerously short attention span, but not so much that he would be in and out of the place in but a moment's notice.

"Sorry Miss, but there is no boy here by the description you gave." The brown haired man shot me a sympathetic look. "Maybe he went to the Pokemart or something. You should give some places a visit. Now, I have a class to teach soon, so I'll be-"

"Oh, no! No, no! I'm never going to be able to find him at that rate! Are you sure you nor any of the instructors know anything, so I don't have to freakin' blindly guess?!" I crossed my arms over my chest, getting impatient. "He's hard to miss, so you can't tell me-"

"Relax. I'm sure he doesn't know anything." A tall, slim man with messy black hair up to his shoulders, ice blue eyes and a button down shirt with slacks and dress shoes stepped in. My mouth went agape as he let the other guy excuse himself and began talking again. "But _I_ did see Barry. I actually recommended he try out a campaign. Give it a try too and you might actually catch up to him."

"Kenneth… How in the hell are you managing to talk to me so casually…? I'm not even sure what to say!" I asked, staring incredulously at my older brother, who I hadn't seen in a year and a half. "Since when the hell were you back from Hoenn?! And what are you doing here?!"

He merely smiled. "Don't worry about it, sis, we'll talk about it eventually. For now, just catch up to Barry before he's gone. You know how he is."

"Oh, crap! True! You better call mom or visit her, she'll be excited!" I yelled as I began running towards the door.

"Sure! You need to talk to some clowns, by the way!" He realized I never asked what the campaign was about or anything before it even came across my mind.

I shot him a thumbs up in recognition as I sprinted towards a clown I spotted from afar. "Hey! I heard you were running some sort of campaign."

The clown turned to face me with a grin. "I sure am! In order to qualify, you have to answer a true or false question given to you by me and two other clowns. When you get them right, we'll give you a coupon to redeem your prize. You have to have all three of our coupons though!"

I automatically frowned as he said that. If I wanted to learn something, the school was close by. I decided to grin and bare it. If I wanted to find Barry, I had to go for it and make it quick…

…

_3__rd__ Person P.O.V._

Steven briskly walked towards the Pokemon school, pushed the doors open and looked around, spotting two teachers talking. He walked towards them and decided to interrupt them as politely as possible. "Excuse me…"

A young man with slicked back brown hair gaped in surprised as he looked at the man. "No-Freakin-Way! Steven Stone?! I just talked about you in my lesson yesterday! There has to be a reason why you're gracing us here!"

Steven inched away slightly, a little surprised. "Well, yes, there is."

"Are you here to provide a lesson? That would be _amazing_!" The man jumped gleefully.

Steven shook his head. "Regrettably, no. There's another pressing matter that I have to attend to right away."

The man seemed saddened as he clapped his hands together, pleading. "Oh, please! Won't you reconsider?"

A taller, black haired man elbowed his fellow instructor lightly. "Didn't you hear, Emery? He has more important things to handle." He then looked at Steven, giving him an apologetic smile. "Do you need any help from us over here to settle that matter, Mr. Stone?"

"Yes, I do." Steven nodded lightly. "I'm looking for someone. Average height for a girl, short black hair with a long ponytail underneath, blue eyes, wearing a midriff pilot's jacket and shorts, walking around with a Totodile. Have either of you seen her?"

"That _crazy_ chick?" Emery scoffed. "You know, she had the nerve to yell at me! What's wrong on your case? Did she do something to you?"

"_HEY._ Watch it." The black haired man scowled at his co-worker.

"Oh, no, she hasn't done anything wrong. I'm just worried about her safety. I'm her companion on the road." Steven answered, looking hopeful that they at least saw her. "So, do you know where she is?"

"Can't say I do! I know I saw her leave." Emery shrugged, not seeming to care. Steven's jaw dropped slightly. Samantha wrote on the note that she would stay there, so her on the move made things much more difficult, and Steven really began to worry about what trouble the girl could possibly wrap herself in. "She is your sister, right, Kenneth? Don't you know where she is?"

"Yeah." Steen perked up from his thoughts and looked at Kenneth, awaiting his answer. "I sent her to do the Poke-Watch campaign. She might be picking it up from the company right now with about how much time just passed."

"Okay, thank you!" Steven turned around to get moving, but Kenneth laid a hand on his shoulder.

"I know my sister may be a handful, and she really shouldn't need to be baby sat, considering how old she is… but please, keep her out of trouble? She has a habit of getting herself involved in problems she shouldn't."

Steven offered Kenneth a smile and shook his hand. "I promise."

With that, Steven rushed out of the school and headed towards the northern part of town, locating the building and entering it. He walked towards the desk and flashed his trainer ID. "I'm here looking for a girl who should have come by for the Poke-Watch campaign-"

"If you mean the girl who went by the last name Walker, you missed her a few minutes ago." The female secretary looked up at Steven, looking as if she were trying to recall who he was. Steven gritted his teeth as he tried to regain his cool demeanor. "She should have went to the Pokemon center to see her friend."

"Thanks a lot." Steven responded cordially, mustering the best smile he could at the moment before exiting the building. "That's it. I'm asking dad to send me a Pokenav for this girl…"

…

_Samantha's P.O.V._

"Aw, c'mon! He's not here either?!" I wailed, tossing my arms up. I was so close to wanting to give up. "I have this parcel I need to get to him so I don't have to worry about chasing him around… do you know where he is?" I pleaded Nurse Joy, almost going onto my knees.

"Of course I'll tell you. He's your friend, right?" She questioned as I nodded vehemently, despite the fact that he was going to be a dead friend once I was done with him… "He should be training with his Pokemon over in route 203."

"Thank you SO much! Let's go, Gator!"

I was feeling bad for Gator, considering that we were out for hours to no avail. I was happy that he was still going strong with me…

…

_3__rd__ Person P.O.V._

"I'm sorry. She was here, but just left some time ago, Mr. Stone." Nurse Joy apologized as Steven let out an exasperated sigh. "She's headed to route 203, you should be able to find her there."

"Okay. I'll have to make a quick phone call first, but thank you." Steven excused himself as he lifted his sleeve, calling his father through his Pokenav.

"Steven! What a surprise to hear from you so suddenly!" The older Stone jovially remarked. "How's Sinnoh?"

"Insane." Steven bluntly remarked while letting out a sigh. "Do you think you could have a Pokenav shipped to Oreghburgh City in the next three days? Tomorrow's Wednesday and you normally have a cargo plane deliver to Sinnoh, right? Sorry this is in such short notice."

"I certainly can, and that's right! Is there anything wrong with yours and you need a new one?" Mr. Stone questioned, sounding a little concerned.

"No, no. Mine is fine. I need one for a traveling companion."

"Traveling companion?"

"It's a little bit of a long story, so to make it short, a woman I'm traveling with has a Pokemon that can assist me with finding stones and I offered to keep her out of trouble… but she's so… so reckless! I've spent the past few hours trying to find her and haven't had any success. She follows her whims a little too much, so to keep track of her just in case she ever goes missing like this again, I want to be able to contact her."

Steven's father simply chuckled. "She sounds charming! Quite the piece to actually have you worked up!"

"Dad…"

"Okay, I'll stop. Will Pink do?"

"No…" Steven shook his head while thinking. I almost want to say red, but blue. A light blue with maybe some black details should be perfect."

"Alright, I'll have it sent to you right away!"

"Thank you. Now, I have to go. She went into the wild and has a terrible tendency to jump into Pokemon battles as if she's one herself. I'll talk to you some other time, okay?"

"Sure. Good luck, son!"

"Thanks." Steven then ended the call, hurrying to the exit of the Pokemon center. '_With the rate this chase is going in, I'll need it.'_

…

_Samantha's P.O.V._

"**THERE YOU ARE**!"

Without giving Barry another moment's notice, I chucked the parcel as hard as I could, nailing him on the back.

The blond dramatically fell to the ground before getting up and turning around quickly, shooting me a glare. "Sam? What the heck was _that_ for?!"

"I was trying to deliver this to you from your mom, but you kept moving from place-to-freaking-place!" I shouted while pointing at the parcel on the ground.

Barry followed my finger and picked up the package, tearing it open, revealing two town maps.

Town…

_Maps…_

It took everything in me to not fly into a fit of rage, considering Barry had enough money on him to_ buy_ one if he really needed it. Couldn't his mother have put something of more value in there to make my efforts feel like they had more value?!

"Oh… I don't need two of these. Here." He held one out to me, it taking everything in my power to not destroy the paper on contact. "If that's all you need, I gotta hurry to Oreghburgh! I'm going to be challenging the gym leader there, so I want to make it before night fall!"

"Huh?" I narrowed my eyes while blinking. "What are you going on about?"

"You don't know?! The Pokemon League challenge!" Barry flailed his arms to show emphasis. "You challenge the eight gyms in that region in order to earn their badges. When you do, you have access to challenge the Elite Four, and if you them, even the Champion! If you beat them, even you can become the Champion!"

"Ah! That sounds amazing!" I was honestly intrigued by the League Challenge, now wanting to take it myself.

"Well, gotta jet! When I see you again, and we have more time, tell me how you brought Steven Stone with you to Twin Leaf! And we can talk about the Challenge, okay? Bye!"

And without letting me get a single word in, Barry was gone. I fell to my butt on the grass, exhausted. Gator ran up to me and pressed a hand to my cheek to see if I was okay. "I'm good, little guy. Just a little tired. Give me a few minutes and I'll take us back to the school to meet with Steven, okay?" Gator nodded as I fell back into the foliage. I noticed the sky was already orange in some places. I then closed my eyes for a few moments to regain my energy.

…

_3__rd__ Person P.O.V. _

Steven finally made it into route 203 at sunset and looked around, hoping he could spot his troublesome compatriot. He felt his heart sink when he noticed her laying on her side faced away from him and her Totodile, sprawled out next to her on it's belly. He ran up to her and gently turned her over, letting out a sigh of relief when he saw she had no external wounds. He then started to shake her gently. "Samantha… Hey, Samantha… are you okay?"

Samantha's eyes slowly opened, her ice blue eyes almost appearing violet from the reflection of the reddish sky. "Hm…? Oh, Steven…" She looked around with her eyes, but didn't move an inch. "I must have dozed off…"

"Dozed off?" The silver haired man stared at the girl, waiting for her to finish.

"Yeah… I got tired running around, looking for Barry… so I was going to sit for a few minutes then go back to find you, but then I guess I fell asleep…" The young woman covered her mouth with a hand lazily, letting out a small yawn. "I'm still sleepy…"

Steven almost thought he would be angry with her for sleeping in an area where Pokemon could appear and hurt her, even accidentally, but instead, he found himself laughing. He couldn't recall a single trainer he knew who would do something so outlandish. "What am I going to do with you…" He helped Samantha stand before facing away from her and kneeling. "I'll carry you back."

"Are you sure?" Samantha asked while already holding around his neck, not exactly waiting for an answer.

"I don't think that quite matters anymore." Steven let out a chuckle as he grabbed behind Samantha's knees and lifted her with relative ease. He walked back over to the Pokemon center, making sure Gator followed him. He shot a smile at Nurse Joy as he approached her. "Thanks for the help. Finally found her, and looks like we'll be staying again."

"Sure, no problem!" Nurse Joy beamed as she handed Steven the key, Steven managing to free an arm and grab onto it. He then made his way to the elevator and entered with Gator, the doors closing, causing him to vanish from Nurse Joy's sight.

Nurse Joy let out a sigh as she looked over to the Chansey who helped her out in the center. "Traveling sure seems to be fun, doesn't it?"

"Chansey!"

If Steven heard her, he'd probably think, 'If only she knew."

_End Chapter Four: _**Cat and Mouse**

_**A/N: Well, that was quite random. I hope it's liked! **_


	5. Back on the Road

_**Disclaimer: **_**I do not own Pokemon, Steven Stone, Lucas or any other random character that pops out, except for Samantha Walker and her family members.**

_Chapter 5_: _Back on the Road._

The day seemed amazing already, although it was just beginning. There was ample sunlight pouring in as I stretched and hopped from my own bed. I walked up to the window and gripped the curtains, pulling them back quickly, allowing whatever little light was blocked out to completely spill through the room. Steven shifted on his bed, trying to filter out the sunlight with his arm while Gator adorably scurried under my blanket. I let out a laugh while approaching the silver haired man resting, giving him a nudge. "Hey, Steven~ Rise and shine! Let's get some breakfast and get shaking!"

Steven brushed the hair out of his eyes with a palm, battling with heavy eyelids. His aqua eyes danced around the room before they settled on me. I offered a large grin as Steven propped himself up on an arm. "Samantha." He motioned himself towards me, reaching an arm out and causing me to lose my balance, my legs flying up as my bum hit the bed, hands getting entangled in the mess of sheets. I slowly inched back, finally bumping my head softly on the headboard, his hand resting on it relatively close to my head. I looked at his arm, then back at him, laughing a little nervously. He was looking at me sternly. "Please… do not act on your own accord until we can establish a stable form of communication, okay?" He kept his eyes trained on me until I nodded frantically. He let out a heavy sigh as he moved his hand away and rose to his feet, walking to the bathroom. "Remember, you promised. No running off on you own!" With that, he entered the bathroom and shut the door behind him.

I blinked a few times, still stuck on the bed like a deer in the headlights. "Geeze… I have never felt so… intimidated before… Yeesh."

…

Steven and I were now dressed and roaming Jubilife City for a little while, finally with the intention of setting off into the next town. We managed to have a quick breakfast in the Trainer's mess hall within the Pokemon center. It was a bit awkward, having some people stare at him, trying to figure out who he was. Now we were walking back towards the area where the Trainer's school was, Gator following us, until I noticed a familiar figure. He wore a duckbill hat, blue jacket, white scarf wrapped above a red sweater, black pants and gray shoes with a white sole. Most of his hair was hidden under the hat, only a few messy black strands stood out from the sides. My eyes widened as I began waving frantically, running towards the boy. "Lucas!"

The boy lazily looked up, offering a smile as I winded an arm back, him now mimicking the motions, then clapping our palms together, clenching tightly. "Wow, I didn't expect to see you around here, Sam!"

"What's that supposed to mean…" I uttered darkly, clapping a fist into an open palm.

"Nothing bad." He laughed freely, my eyes narrowing as I pointed two fingers at them, then him, pretending I had my eye on him. "I mean that you just started your journey, and you've already caught up with me! I know for sure Barry is ahead."

"Yeah, I saw that moron yesterday…" I grumbled, immediately remembering the useless parcel that merely contained a town map. "But anyway..." I looked to the side, noticing Steven was a little ways away, possibly out of courtesy. I eyed the slightly older man tentatively, reaching out an arm to grasp onto his sleeve, then pulled him close. "This is my travel buddy, Steve!"

Steven quirked a single eyebrow. "Steve?"

"It's nice to meet you, Steve." Lucas offered a crooked smile. "I'm Lucas."

"Likewise." Steven held a hand out and shook Lucas'. "It's actually Steven, though."

Lucas nodded his head vigorously. I then leaned an elbow on Lucas' shoulder, waving my free hand for emphasis. "So what'cha up to on this glorious day, bud?"

"Nothing much, off to do some brushing up in the Pokemon school before heading to Mt. Coronet. I heard it's a good place to hit up." Lucas nodded his head in the direction of the Academy.

I gave him a thumbs up. "Sounds like a good plan! You should see if you can sit in a class with my bro! I'm sure he'll be a great he-" As my eyes fell towards a lamppost, an eye brow hitched. "The hell? Please, tell me I'm not the only one who sees that..." I scratched my head, clearly confused by the suspicious looking individual who suddenly darted out in the open towards another lamppost.

Steven's face remained neutral, but I could tell he was stupefied by the shady weirdo. "Regrettably, I see that as well."

Lucas chuckled lightly. "Why don't you see what he's up to?"

I hesitated for a moment. After trying to figure out what the nutcase was doing and being unable to think of an answer, I shrugged and approached him. "Hey, you! 'Scuse me-"

"**WHAAAT?!**" The strange man yelled, leaning a little forward.

I, of course, leaned away, clearly freaked out. "What the-"

"…How did you know?" The man cut me off as he placed a hand under his chin inquisitively.

"W-What are you-"

"How did you unmask me as a member of the International Police?!" The man yelled, apparently shocked.

I blinked slowly. "Um… I… I did what?" I turned around to my friend and travel mate, putting on a face that screamed 'Help me!'. Steven and Lucas approached me slowly, hopefully reading my expression.

"No need to be humble. You recognized right away that I was someone extraordinary." The odd man reasoned, nodding to himself. "That is why you spoke to me, is it not? Your power of observation is fearsome! Quite admirable, you are!"

"Y-yeah… I guess…" I scratched the back of my head, bewildered. Sure, my observation powers must be fearsome… Because checking this guy out, I made an observation that he must be a damn lunatic- and I definitely feel like I'm right.

"Now that my cover has been blown, let me introduce myself." The mysterious man began, making dramatic movements with every word that spilled from his mouth. Honestly, he could save the introduction, because the second we manage to go free, I'm booking it and calling the white coats. "I am a globe-trotting elite of the International Police. My name- Ah, no. I shall inform you of only my code name."

I uttered under my breath, "Yeah, what… Lunatic…?", although Steven silenced me with a light elbow to the side. Seems I wasn't quiet enough.

"My codename, it is Looker. It is what they call me."

"Isn't that obvious, since it's your codename, Dip-OW!" I still was not quiet enough, since now, Steven pinched my back lightly, although it stung more than it should have. I shot him a pout and mouthed 'It's not my fault he's a whack job' to which Steven merely shook his head disapprovingly.

"Incidentally, there is a saying." Looker's attention was clearly directed towards me. I had a feeling I should have sent Lucas to talk to this nut instead of myself. "'Don't be a thief!', is it familiar to you, young lady?"

I let out an audible huff. "Of course. They teach everyone that in school, and it's common sense. Everyone should know what good morals are."

Looker nodded. "That is correct. As you're aware, taking what belongs to others is wrong.. Unfortunately, there are apparently those who do not heed those words. In Sinnoh, in fact, there are criminals stealing the Pokemon of others."

"…Criminals? So, it's a group?" Steven asked, seeming as if he were in thought.

I almost wondered what was bothering him about it until I finally recalled the incident at Lake Verity. I slammed a fist down into an open palm, announcing my "Aha!" moment. "Ah! The space-suit wearing weirdoes?!"

Looker seemed as if he were in thought for a moment. "I am currently not sure if that's what the criminals look like as of the moment. I have been on the lookout for any suspicious people. That said, I have a request. If you were to see me again, I ask that you not talk to me, for I am on duty."

"No prob!" I said, smiling brightly. I had no qualms with this request. It would save me any future headaches with his insane babbling, talking about crazy things. "So, I won't walk up to you again, if that's what you'd like-"

"…Actually, yes, yes, you may speak with me." My bright disposition sunk immediately. "You must." I gave the clearly older man a look. Realizing what I must have been thinking, he stepped back and shook his head. "Not because I'm lonely! No, no! You must inform me of bad guys! Remember, inform me of any happenings!"

And with that, Looker was off faster than he appeared. The three of us stood amongst each other, clearly befuddled by the whole situation. "Um…"

Lucas shot me a small grin. "Working for the International Police seems hard."

"Pfft." I began, looking between the men. "I refuse to talk to any other stranger along the way. I'm ending it at him. There is no way I'm ever getting stopped to hear another psycho yammer for a good hour."

"'Dile!" Totodile cried out. We all turned our attention to the little crocodile.

I lifted him high, smirking a little bit. "I think what he said was Amen to that."

"Samantha…" Steven gave me a look, to which I responded by puffing up my cheeks defiantly.

"Well, if you don't mind me, I won't hold you guys back. You're already done here, right, Sam?" Lucas placed a hand on my shoulder, gaining my attention.

My body immediately relaxed as I put a finger to my bottom lip in thought. "Oh… Oh right, we're moving on ahead to Oreburgh. Can't let that dimwit, Barry, stay way ahead."

"Alright then, I'll see if Kenneth is in today. It was nice seeing you, Sam, and meeting you, Steven. Hope to see you both again!" With that, Lucas ran into the school building and out of sight.

Steven held a hand out as he asked, "Shall we head to Mt. Coronet now?"

I grinned and nodded merrily. "Yeah, let's!"

…

"I said I want to battle _him_!" A youngster wailed, pointing his finger. "Our eyes met first, plus battling a guy would be cooler!"

I could feel a vein throb as I tried to keep my cool. "Kid… you're gonna regret it, trust me." I muttered, annoyed.

"No way! It would be totally cool to battle him!" The boy continued screaming.

I blocked my ears with my palms, getting agitated with his high pitched voice. "Alright, alright…" I looked towards Steven, who I could tell clearly did not want to battle the poor sap. "So, he _really_ wants to battle you."

Steven sighed. "I guess I do have a weaker Pokemon that could battle against him…" He then reached for his belt, grabbing a Pokeball and letting it drop. "Come on out, Iron." With a flash of light, a single-eyed, gun metal colored Pokemon appeared, the small, but sturdy looking Pokemon floating about. I curiously pointed my Pokedex at it.

"**Beldum. The Iron Ball Pokemon. Instead of blood, a powerful magnetic force courses throughout Beldum's body- that is how it keeps itself afloat. When Beldum gather in a swarm, they move in perfect unison as if they were but one Pokemon." **

I then snapped my Pokedex shut and jammed it in my pocket, as I awaited for either the kid or Steven to attack- apparently the kid was waiting to see if he could counter. That ought to be interesting.

"Samantha… I think you could use the battle more than I could." Steven tried to reason, probably seeing if I'd step up to it and stop the battle.

I merely shook my head. "The kid wants to face you no matter what He doesn't want to hear any ands, ifs or buts. You might as well call your attack already." I said as I scratched my head. If the boy could supposedly hold a candle against Iron, I couldn't get why Steven hesitated.

Steven let out a huff as he unwillingly called to Iron, "Iron, use Takedown."

With that, Iron wound back and shot itself at the Bidoof the kid was using, the Bidoof getting knocked a long ways away. The youngster stared at the spot where Bidoof once was while I watched go the distance, blocking the sun with a hand and letting out a whistle. The boy then looked up at Steven, eyes watering. "That was cool, but mean, Mister!"

And with that, the boy ran off sobbing, looking for his Pokemon. Steven sighed, clearly feeling bad about beating the young kid, and with such ease. I shot a tentative grin at Steven. "So much for having a weaker Pokemon to use against him! Man, that Pokemon didn't even stand a chance… Especially with a move like Takedown! I was expecting maybe a weaker tackle, or something!"

Steven narrowed his eyes as he faced me. "Hah, funny. The only move that Beldum can learn is Takedown, and all my other Pokemon are fully evolved. I think beating him with a Beldum and Take down is much better than beating him with a Metagross and Meteor Mash."

"You have a very good point." I nodded. "Well, no use crying over spilled milk! Let's go to Mt. Coronet! I've got training to do, you've got awesome stones to find, and I got a gym leader to beat!" I then maneuvered behind Steven, placing my hands on his back, forcing him to walk ahead.

"Right, right."

…

"This is laaaame." I complained as a Geodude crashed against the floor. "I mean really…" Now a Zubat landed roughly on the ground. "Is this really all there is to offer in here? Zubats and Geodudes?! Gator and Estelle aren't going to progress much as this rate. They're already flicking them off like ants."

"In order to train your Pokemon well, you do have to go through many battles." Steven looked up as Iron inspected the walls. It started tapping on a part a bit a-ways away from Steven, but Steven nodded for Iron to go for it anyway. It moved back and slammed against the wall, using Takedown to unearth the stone. I watched as the Stone began to descend, falling towards a hard to reach place.

"Isn't that going to…" Before I could finish, Steven groped for his arm, removing the metal ring and threw it, the ring extending forward on a chain. My mouth dropped as I watched him hook the stone within it, and tug back, bringing the stone to him and expertly catching it within in his hands. "That was so cool…"

Steven chuckled. "I've done this for years. It would be a shame if I couldn't come up with a way to catch the stones from anywhere, right?" He admired the stone in his hands, content with finding it. "If you find the training in here unsatisfactory, we can continue ahead to Oreburgh. We'll find some place better suited for your Pokemon."

"Hold up." I urged as I started to climb some rocks, reaching a pathway that lead higher. "Why don't we just continue in here? It's blocked off by rocks, but I'm sure you can easily get that out of the way, right?"

"We're not continuing through here." Steven easily dismissed.

I crossed my arms, wanting to rebel, as usual. "Well, why not? We're already in here! Might as well keep on trudging!"

"That's because…"

Before he could even finish, a Pokemon greedily reached for the rock and was ready to chomp down on it, Steven moving me away before it could bite down. "WHOA! That dang fatty! That thing is huge!"

"And if that Graveler attacks your Gator and Estelle, it'll easily beat them." Steven commented. "So we're not having you train further in. You're not ready."

I puffed my cheeks before starting to walk away. "Ookay…" I looked back at the hungry Pokemon, mischievous grin on my face. It must be the same type as Geodude, considering it looked the same. I picked up Gator and whispered to it. "Hey, buddy… use water gun on it."

Gator obliged. But before I knew it, the agitated Pokemon started after us, rolling quickly. Seems Gator barely dented it, while the thing was going to flatten us.

"What were you thinking, Samantha?!" Steven yelled as he pulled me outside of the cave and dashed to the corner- Graveler getting stuck at the entrance, shooting smaller rocks all over the grass. Steven looked at me, I could tell he wasn't happy with my antics. "You have one more chance. You act out again, I'm sending you home."

"NOOOO!" I wailed, quite loudly at that. "ANYTHING BUT BACK HOME!"

"No buts! Enough with doing things just to disagree!"

I shrunk back while nodding. "Okay…"

From then on, I was going to behave.

Okay, maybe not completely, but I was going to try harder. There was no way I wanted to go home while even _children_ were off learning to be awesome in battle.

No. Freaking. Way.

_End Chapter 5: Back on the Road_

A/N: That could probably have been a lot better. Man, I need to buy myself Platinum version while I write this, and maybe find someone to discuss it with and tell me if the idea blows or is okay. Then I could probably work a million times faster. Alas.


End file.
